Should You Invest In a Fetal Heart Rate Monitor?
No longer does the pregnant soon-to-be Mom have to wait for her next check up with her doctor to listen to her baby’s heartbeat. Now, right in the comfort of her own home any time she likes, she can use a baby heartbeat monitor to connect with her unborn child. It’s an amazing experience to hear your baby’s heart beat, not just the first time, but every time.
If you have had difficult pregnancies in the past or have experienced a miscarriage, you may be anxious about your pregnancy. While you should still keep up with your regular visits to your obstetrician, a home fetal monitor can offer you some peace of mind between visits. Less worry means a more relaxed pregnancy and this is always beneficial for both Mom and baby.
The portable Doppler baby heart rate monitor is very similar to those used in doctor’s offices. They are simply smaller and more portable and are perfect for home use. Midwives love them as well.
These devices can detect your baby’s heart beat through the use of ultrasound and are battery powered. They are safe, easy to use and can pick up the baby’s heart beat as early as 10 weeks. A speaker broadcasts the sound of the heart beat and some models include an LCD display panel and a headphone jack as well.
Doppler fetal heart rate monitors can be rented or purchased. The purchase price ranges from to 0 or more depending on the sophistication and features included. Be sure not to panic if you try a monitor and can’t find a heart beat right away. It takes a little practice at first and you may want to take it with you to a doctor’s appointment for assistance.
You will need a gel in addition to the monitor. It is often included, but if it is not, mineral oil or body lotion will work as well. It is also helpful, especially the first time you attempt to locate the heartbeat, to do it at a time when your bladder is full.
To locate the heartbeat, move the probe slowly and in a rocking motion keeping the face of the probe against the skin at all times. Begin below the belly button and about the pubic area. Above all else, do not panic if you cannot readily pick up the heartbeat. It may take some practice to locate it.
The Doppler baby heart beat monitors have been approved for home use by the FDA. They have been test regularly over the last 30 years and no adverse effects have been shown to occur. The FDA does not even suggest a doctor’s approval before using at home.
Renting or owning a Doppler baby heart beat monitor can be a thrilling experience. Not only can Mom be reassured that her baby is doing well, the rest of the family can join in the experience as well. A soon to be older sister or brother can start early on to develop a loving relationship with their sibling and begin to look forward with Mom and Dad to the baby’s birth.
Enjoy the sound of your baby’s heartbeat as you fall asleep each night or bring the monitor with you when you visit the baby’s grandparents or aunts and uncles. Everyone thrills at the sound of an unborn child’s heart beat. A Doppler baby heart beat monitor makes this possible.
